I-TEAM: How to avoid exorbitant ticket fees for entertainment

DAYTON — News Center 7′s week-long investigation into fees continues as we look at entertainment fees.

All the fees added onto concert tickets have gained national attention and even the focus of lawmakers.

Consumer investigative reporter Xavier Hershovitz found out that there is a way consumers can avoid those fees.

It was tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tours that had Congress shaking off Live Nation’s president in a hearing earlier this year.

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Sen. John Kennedy (R) of Louisiana said, “If you really care about the consumer, give the consumer a break.”

News Center 7′s I-Team set out to see if there was a way to avoid those fees at venues in the Miami Valley.

Hershovitz decided to look for tickets to The Temptations and The Four Tops at The Rose Music Center in Huber Heights. They had tickets for $24 and decided to purchase two tickets at that price.

Once those Ticketmaster tickets were added to the cart with a service feed and an order processing fee, the fee total was $19.60, which is nearly the price of an entire additional ticket.

Looking at tickets for the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering which uses ETIX for its shows, Hershovitz decided to get two lawn tickets to the I Love The 90s Tour. Each ticket has a fee of $11.86.

Fees totaled $23.72.

The I-Team decided to go to the box office for each venue and see if they charge the same fees.

If you buy at The Fraze Box Office, you can avoid those fees and save $11.86 per ticket. At The Rose Music Center Box Office, you can also avoid the fees, again saving $11.80 a ticket.

Dave Wilson of Huber Heights said, “That’s why I’m here getting them instead of ordering them online.”

He said he always gets his concert tickets at the box office.

“If I can get them for the same price online, I would, but the fees are a little excessive,” Wilson said.

It takes some effort, but it’s well worth it to Wilson.

“Basically, with all the tickets I buy, it’s like getting a free show to a concert,” Wilson said.

Buying at the box office is a great way to avoid ticket fees for local shows that don’t have a high demand. For those big concerts, like Taylor Swift, tickets go quickly and you might not have as much luck heading there in person.

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